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Zeus
''"All who have challeneged my power have fallen at my feet, wrought in defeat. You will be no different." Origin Zeus is the youngest of six children born to Kronos and Rhea, the king and queen of the Titanes. It was prophesied by Ouranos that the children of Kronos would usurp his rule as he had once done to his father. Unwilling to relinquish his power, he devoured each child born until Gaia finally convinced Rhea in her grief to deceive the king. She gave birth to Zeus in a cave and returned to her husband with a stone wrapped in cloth, which he promptly consumed. He was raised by Gaia who fed him milk from Amaltheia. The daimon Melisseus brought him honey, while the Kouretes, appointed to guard the cave and infant Zeus, shouted and clashed spears against shields to muffle the cries. When Kronos would overlook his kingdom, the nymph Adamanthea would dangle him by a rope from a tree to escape his father's gaze. When matured, he returned to the kingdom and won the affections of Metis. She slipped Kronos an emetic which caused him to disgorge the devoured stone and unharmed children. With his siblings restored they freed the Kyklopes and Hekatonkheires and declared war upon the Titanes. After freeing the Kyklopes they rewarded Zeus by forging him the Anax Astrapeos (king's thunderbolt), a powerful thunderbolt mighter than any other weapon known to the Theoi. From it forked lightning itself, ripping through the skies with awesome force. The weapon allowed Zeus to defeat the dreaded Typhoeus, becoming renowned as the most powerful of the Theoi with his victory. Family Metis Zeus, ruling as king of the Theoi, took as his first queen Metis, for her knowledge and good counsel surpassed all. From her, Gaia and Ouranos counseled that children surpassing in wisdom would be born, including a son who might bring forth a weapon stronger than the thunderbolt, Anax Astrapeos, who would usurp his father from the throne as each son had done so before. Zeus deceived the fair daughter of Okeanos to metamorph into a fly and devoured her as his father had done to his siblings, unknowing she was already pregnant with their child. During the passing years Zeus took another queen all while the crafty counselor began forging a helmet and sewing robe for her daughter from within. The hammering caused the lightning lord immense headaches, which was partly responsible for the king's intense temperament. Ater suffering the vile migraines for numerous years with no cure in sight Prometheus and Eileithyia, at the instruction of Zeus, cleaved his head with a hammer, in turn giving birth to Athene from his mouth on the river banks of Trito. Keeping Metis within so no one could surpass him in wisdom, the Theoi believed Zeus had given birth to Athene through parthenogenesis, of his own accord, a act which was believed to be exclusive to the powerful Protogenoi, which filled his current wife, Hera, with jealousy. Themis Horai Next he led away bright Themis who bare the Horai (Eunomia, Dike, and Eirene) who mind the works of mortal men. The changing Horai brought on the time for labour to be paid and guarded the gates of Olympos. Moirai The Moirai (Klotho, Lakhesis, and Atropos) were given the greatest honor. At the birth of each man they appeared spinning, measuring, and cutting the thread of life. Hera Lastly, he made way to seduce Hera, who demanded to be made his blooming wife. Their union brought forth Hebe, Ares, Enyo, and Eileithyia. When Zeus gave birth from his own head to Athene, Hera was very angry and quarreled with her king. Because of this strife she claimed to bare without union a glorious son, Hephaistos, who excelled all in crafts. He fashioned the Anax Aegis (king's windstorm, goatskin) from the skin of Amaltheia after she passed away. A hundred gold tassels were woven around it, and when shook it rumbled like thunder while clouds gathered above. Consorts Zeus was never known for his fidelity. He enjoyed numerous consorts, and some of the scions joined the Theoi, while others remained on Terra accomplishing heroic deeds. HEROLOGY The Apokalyptikos Millennia ago the Arrostoi, malevolent children of darkness, plagued our planet Terra with torment, forever afflicting its inhabitants. Trying to spread their ills throughout Mt. Olympos, they were banished by Zeus to the abyss of Dimmuborgir, a fortress erected from the bowels of the earth... Category:Theoi